RPA Study, Netcong Station Area Transit-Friendly
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May 20 2004 NETCONG Station Area Transit-Friendly Design Study ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS New Jersey Transit would like to acknowl- edge the hard work of the residents of Netcong, Preiss Philips Shapiro and Associates, whose commitment of time and energy at Redevelopment Plan Consultants the several community design sessions pro- Ken Bowers, Principal vided invaluable guidance for this project. In addition, New Jersey Transit would like to Development Feasibility Review acknowledge the following individuals. Joel Schwartz, Principal, Landmark Properties David Trager, Chief Investment Officer, New Jersey Transit Transit-Friendly Planning Woodmont Properties, LLC Assistance Program Steve Ludlow, Hovnanian Kim Peterson, Project Manager R. Nagler, Developer Ken Snapp, Director, Passenger Facilities Planning Vivian Baker, Project Development Planning Wendy Molner, Community Relations Borough of Netcong Nicholas Pompilio, Mayor Marvin Joss, Borough Administrator Greg Keller, Council President Jim Nametko, Councilman Pat Butler, Councilwoman Jim Arbolino, Councilman Elmer Still, Councilman Cissy Laureys, Councilwoman Wayne Anthony, Planning Board Tom Pettineo, Planning Board William Koster, Planning Board Ted Dunn, Planning Board Attorney Leigh Ann Van Hagen, resident Regional Plan Association Robert Lane, Project Urban Designer Design Team Colin Cathcart, Principal, Kiss + Cathcart, Architects David Kooris, Planner Robert Lane, Director, Regional Design Program Alex Rivillas, Model Maker Jeff Ferzoco, Senior Designer 2 Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 10 Context and Planning Framework 13 Preliminary Design Studies 18 Proposal 30 Implementation Netcong Station Area Design Study 3 PB INTRODUCTION About the Transit-Friendly Planning Assistance growth policies for the last decade. For munici- Program. The historic town of Netcong, located palities such as Netcong, station area plans help in Morris County, New Jersey was selected refashion master plans and zoning ordinances, to participate in New Jersey Transit’s Transit and can serve as the foundation for a site-spe- Friendly Planning Assistance Program. The pur- cific “redevelopment plan” which in turn can pose of this program is to offer planning and attract and guide developer interest in a man- design assistance to those communities with ner that is complementary to the existing context underutilized or vacant land in close proxim- and meets the future needs of the municipality. ity to a transit facility or station that could be The benefits of this approach are many: these transformed by new, mixed–use development. plans serve as a catalyst to jump start or support This program provides the necessary expertise to other revitalization efforts within the down- help interested municipalities craft a transit and town and encourage people to reinvest in their pedestrian-oriented master plan or “station area businesses, storefronts and the surrounding neigh- vision” for the targeted redevelopment area. borhoods. This results in an increase in property These kinds of developments go by differ- values and rateables in a manner that requires fewer ent names: “Transit Villages,” “transit friendly infrastructure investments than typical sprawl type designs”, or “Transit Oriented Developments” developments. These developments also serve as (TOD’s); but what they all share is compact devel- key gateways to the town and beacons for the com- opment that mixes uses within buildings and munity. For New Jersey Transit and other transit parcels, often with retail on the ground floor and agencies throughout the country, these “station offices or residences above. This is enhanced by area plans” and transit oriented developments are layering in a rich mix of public amenities (i.e. pub- viewed as a means to leverage the public invest- lic plazas, open space, art, benches, street trees,) ment of the transit facility and bus/rail service into that are aimed at enhancing the quality of the liv- a community asset, thereby strengthening the bond ing, walking, cycling and transit environment. What between transit and the host community. TODs are distinguishes these types of developments from a wonderful way to capture new transit ridership ordinary in-fill projects is that they are designed to without the burden of providing additional com- encourage and support more pedestrian and transit muter parking facilities. TODs are also good smart activity and reduce dependence on the automo- growth tools as envisioned by the New Jersey bile. Research has shown that this type of housing Office of Smart Growth. Specifically, in-fill devel- is often rented by young, urban professionals who opment helps mitigate a number of problems which desire proximity to mass transit and who may both are particularly prevalent in the dense state of New live and work within their homes. Recent trends Jersey – traffic congestion, incessant sprawl, and the indicate that “dot-com” type businesses are seeking need for affordable and less maintenance-intensive upstairs locations next to train stations in vibrant housing within close proximity to mass transit. downtowns which offer a host of amenities such as delis, pubs, clothing stores, print and copy shops. Netcong and Transit-Oriented Development This allows them access to customers, their homes This report summarizes the planning and design and places to shop and eat without using a car. exercise for the Netcong Station Area that began Transit and Pedestrian Oriented Development in June of 2003. In Netcong’s case, the munici- is proven to be a win-win-win situation for the pality requested professional consulting services host community, NJ Transit and the State of to explore the redevelopment potential of an New Jersey, which has been advocating smart area south of the train station behind their 1930: Main Street Introduction Main Street. NJ Transit felt that partnering with With this in mind, NJ Transit brought on the Netcong made sense for numerous reasons: Regional Planning Association, (RPA), a non-profit Netcong has always been a “transit village” planning, urban design and advocacy organiza- in the sense that it grew up around the extension tion to lead this effort. RPA recognized that of the Morris and Essex Railroad which enabled Netcong is fortunate to have several cultural, workers, residents and goods to travel back and economic and natural assets they can draw on forth to towns along the rail line. In addition, – such as the Growing Stage Theater located at Netcong, other state agencies, and the private the head of Main Street, adjacent to beautiful sector have been investing heavily in the revi- Lake Musconetcong which serves as a recre- talization of Netcong’s downtown as evidenced ational resource for the community. Economically, by the new streetscape and façade improve- Netcong is blessed with a variety of good, tradi- ments and the influx of new cafes and businesses. tional “mom and pop” type convenience stores and Netcong also has remained a historic and charm- restaurants which attract locals and out-of -towners ing place and has all the elements that contribute to the Main Street district. This serves as a firm base for expanding retail activities along Main Street and in the redevelopment area once a market for new Netcong Station businesses is easily supportable by the new devel- opment. And with the proposed addition of a State Transit Museum within the station building, tour- ism is likely to surge within downtown Netcong which can then attract and support new business development. In the short run, the station has been leased to a local restaurant. This type of station rehabilitation has contributed to the lively spirit of the downtown in other municipalities where this has occurred. The design concepts shown here take all of these assets into consideration and support the goal of rejuvenating the downtown by using the train station as a catalyst for new development. to the success of a new transit oriented devel- The Planning Process During the course of the opment: underutilized land around the station, planning effort, the Borough hosted several com- a diverse and attractive Main Street, supportive munity design workshops with Regional Plan government and constituency, and a traditional Association acting as facilitator. Local stakehold- neighborhood development pattern that encour- ers, including property owners impacted by future ages walking, cycling and transit use. This is redevelopment of the targeted area were invited despite the fact that it has had to compete with the to these lively workshops to share their views on region’s growing dependence on automobile-ori- important planning issues as they relate to the ented developments such as regional malls and new development of this area as well as to gage their gated communities. Finally, Netcong’s leadership response to several draft alternative design concepts wisely recognizes that their future and continued prepared by RPA. In other towns NJT and RPA prosperity depends on celebrating the special qual- have successfully used this kind of process to build ity of the Borough as an historic town center. consensus around vital community-based vision Community Design Workshop Netcong Station Area Design Study 5 PB plans. Based on input from the stakeholders at these plan must rezone this area to allow for a vari- meetings the concepts were revised. These con- ety of uses including medium density housing. cepts are presented within the body of this report. The Vision The fundamental basis of Netcong’s The